Supporting Research

​The history of neurofeedback dates back to the late 1950s. Since then the field of neurofeedback has grown by fits and starts, with much of the scientific groundwork being done in Europe, Russia, and Australia. Despite there being around 10,000 Neurofeedback Practitioners in the USA, it has proven difficult for the practice to garner the considerable research funding necessary to carry out the gold standard randomized control trials (RCTs) needed to raise its profile. This is likely in part due to the fact that there are various neurofeedback systems out there (which one to study?), and partly perhaps because it’s commercial potential is limited (most RCTs are funded by pharmaceutical companies). Despite this, there have been many promising studies looking at the efficacy of neurofeedback when used to address different presenting conditions. Some of the findings of neurofeedback studies are outlined below and there is a nice review (2011) in the following paper by DC Hammond www.researchgate.net/publication/254373196_What_is_Neurofeedback_An_Update

Please note that not all of the research quoted here relates to LENS neurofeedback but to the broad field of neurofeedback. Most preliminary LENS-specific research and clinical experience is encouraging with articles published on LENS treatment of conditions such as TBI (traumatic brain injury) (Hammond, 2010c; Schoenberger, Shiflett, Esdy, Ochs, & Matheis, 2001), fibromyalgia (C. C. S. Donaldson, Sella, & Mueller, 1998; Mueller, Donaldson, Nelson, & Layman, 2001), anger (Hammond, 2010a), restless legs syndrome (Hammond, in press), ADD/ADHD, anxiety, depression, insomnia and other conditions (Larsen, 2006; Larsen, Harrington, & Hicks, 2006). LENS has even been applied to the animal population where behaviour problems are present (Larsen, Larsen, et al., 2006). For references to these studies please see the article by DC Hammond (link above).

​Proponents of LENS neurofeedback suggest that it produces results faster than traditional neurofeedback systems, and it is easier to use with very young children and with individuals who are less motivated and who do not have the impulse control or stamina required with other neurofeedback approaches (40 minutes of focus on a task).

ADD/ADHD

​The American Academy of Pediatrics have concluded that EEG biofeedback (neurofeedback) is a “Level 1 Best Support” evidence-based practice for the treatment of the attention and hyperactivity behaviour problems associated with ADHD. At least 36 studies have shown that neurofeedback can be an effective and time-limited treatment for ADHD – and that this effectiveness is similar to that of conventional drugs (see eg L.M. Hirschberg, S. Chiu, and J.A. Frazier, “Emerging Brain-Based Interventions for Children and Adolescents: Overview and Clinical Perspective,” Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America 14, no.1 (2005):1-19; and N.J. Steiner et al., “In-School Neurofeedback Training for ADHD: Sustained Improvements From a Randomized Control Trial”, Paediatrics, Vol. 133, no. 3 (2014)

Studies with ADD/ADHD have documented improvements equivalent to (e.g., Fuchs et al., 2003) or superior (Monastra et al., 2002) to those produced by methylphenidate on 1 year follow-up, and follow-ups have continued for as long at 10 years demonstrating the maintenance of improvements. In 2012, D. Corydon Hammond noted that this was significant, since the average stimulant medication follow-up study at that time was only 3 weeks long. Symptomatic changes have occurred in concentration/attention, academic performance, mood stability, impulsiveness, hyperactivity, and sleep. Along with behavioral changes, various studies have also shown post-treatment improvements in brain function on EEG measures, and a recent study (Levesque, Beauregard, & Mensour, 2006) established with fMRI that not only did neurofeedback improve behavior in ADHD children compared with a no-treatment control group, but that positive changes in both subcortical and cortical functioning also occurred.. Overall, close to 80% of ADD/ADHD patients show significant improvement. Placebo-controlled research with learning disabilities (Fernandez et al., 2003) has also demonstrated the effectiveness of neurofeedback.

Autism Spectrum Disorder

​There is some very promising evidence for using various forms of neurofeedback with children with ASD. Please see this link for further information http://eeginfo.com/research/articles/NeurofeedbackforASD.pdf. Darling’s 2004 study comments that “pre-determined autistic behaviours were observed and quantified at pre-determined windows of time each day. The result was that across the first 28 neurofeedback sessions, autistic behaviour in the classroom setting reduced by 64% for the students involved in the study. Improvements were also reported in the areas of sleep, mood, speech, academic performance, attention, memory, and social skills; as well as reductions in anger, aggression, seizures, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. The two students who had epilepsy both stopped having seizures, while two non-verbal students both began speaking a few words".

Trauma

​Bessel van der Kolk, Professor of Psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine and Director of the National Complex Trauma Treatment Network, has included a chapter on neurofeedback in his latest book (The Body Keeps the Score, 2014) on the treatment or trauma and PTSD. Following positive results in a randomized controlled study of neurofeedback where chronically traumatized patients had an approximately 30% reduction in PTSD symptoms and a significant improvement in emotional control (van der Kolk et al., submitted 2014), he is currently running a much larger study on its effects in this client group.

Headaches & Migraines

There are studies reporting that migraines respond well to neurofeedback (see eg J.E. Walker, “QEEG-Guided Neurofeedback for Recurrent Migraine Headaches”, Clinical EEG and Neuroscience, Vol. 42, no. 1 (2011). You can read more about neurofeedback and migraines in The Migraine Revolution by Martin Brink (2012)

Anxiety & Depression

In a review of evidence for neurofeedback conducted by the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health, they state that “findings showed that neurofeedback therapy was almost as efficacious as pharmacotherapy in the management of anxiety”, and “electroencephalographic (EEG) biofeedback (neurofeedback) was associated with statistically significant reduction of symptoms in patients with depressive disorders” . They point out that most of the studies are pilot studies with small numbers of patients and larger studies are needed. Neurofeedback and Biofeedback for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Depression: A Review of the Clinical Evidence and Guidelines. (2012)​

Traumatic Brain Injury

​In a review of 22 research studies looking at neurofeedback for patients presenting with traumatic brain injury (Ann Clin Psychiatry. 2013 Nov;25(4):289-96. "Neurofeedback and traumatic brain injury: a literature review". May G, Benson R, Balon R, Boutros N.), the authors' conclusion was as follows – “All studies demonstrated positive findings, in that neurofeedback led to improvement in measures of impairment, whether subjective, objective, or both. However, placebo-controlled studies were lacking, some reports omitted important details, and study designs differed to the point where effect size could not be calculated quantitatively”. They concluded that “neurofeedback is a promising treatment that warrants double-blind, placebo-controlled studies to determine its potential role in the treatment of traumatic brain injury. Clinicians can advise that some patients report improvement in a wide range of neuropsychiatric symptoms after undergoing neurofeedback, although the treatment remains experimental, with no standard methodology”.

Although better and more well controlled research is needed, preliminary neurofeedback treatment outcome studies of closed and open brain injuries too numerous to cite have been published. For example, Schoenberger et al (2001) compared treatment (25 sessions) with the Low Energy Neurofeedback System (LENS) of 9 mild and 3 moderate TBI patients with a wait-list control group. They found significant improvement in measures of attention and recall. Thornton and Carmody (2005) found 186% improvement in memory scores in TBI patients treated with neurofeedback compared to a control group with no TBI history. When Thornton and Carmody (2008) compared neurocognitive rehabilitation strategies, medication treatment, and neurofeedback treatment in an effect size analysis, neurofeedback appeared more efficacious than other treatment strategies.

Epilepsy

​Research on neurofeedback began about 40 years ago, with initial research focused on reduction of anxiety and on the treatment of drug-resistant, uncontrolled epilepsy. Sterman (2000) reviewed this literature, which included blinded, placebo-controlled cross-over studies, on the use of neurofeedback with uncontrolled epilepsy. Out of a total of 174 medically intractible patients in these studies it was found that in 82% of cases there were significant improvements in the seizure rate, and there were no reports of an increase in seizures. Some of these studies evaluated pre- and post-treatment sleep EEG’s, finding that following treatment even when the patient was asleep, their EEG showed less epileptiform activity.

Other

​Reports have also been published on the use of neurofeedback with learning and developmental disabilities (including dyslexia), cognitive and memory enhancement, stroke, alcoholism and substance misuse, insomnia, peak and optimal performance training (eg for musicians and athletes), Tourette’s Syndrome, OCD, Parkinsons, tinnitus, physical balance, incontinence, children with histories of neglect or abuse or reactive attachment disorder, restless leg syndrome, and “chemo fog” following chemotherapy or radiation treatment.

Patient Testimonials following LENS Neurofeedback at the Bath Practice

"I've used many therapies over many years for help with both psychological and physical conditions and LENS works in a unique, powerful, minimally invasive way. It penetrates to the core and all connected strands, bringing emotional release, insights, creative expansion, integration and help with pain and it's causes." (Ms C, Actor/musician)

"When I first tried LENS neurofeedback, chronic migraines and headaches were severely affecting my quality of life. At times I suffered two to three migraines a week, resulting in debilitating pain and visual disturbances, often lasting for days, in addition, the unpredictable nature of the attacks meant that I also became very anxious. I tried prescribed medication in the form of triptans and painkillers as well as many other alternative therapies and remedies with little, if any relief. From the first LENS treatment and photonic stimulation I noticed an improvement, and within a few treatments my migraines had almost completely gone. The difference has been remarkable, I have gone from experiencing weekly attacks to only having two short lived migraines in the last year. In addition I am sleeping better and my levels of anxiety have decreased. I would certainly recommend this treatment!”Former migraine sufferer aged 49

"I used to suffer from severe migraines which would seriously disrupt my life at school. I had constant headaches and my migraines were so bad that they made me lose my sight, throw up for hours and the pain felt like people were drilling into my skull. I had so many of them that I started to worry all the time about when the next one would come. I was very skeptical about LENS at first but it has helped me completely and I haven’t had a full blown migraine since I started the treatment which I finished six months ago. My headaches have also improved in both severity and frequency.” Former migraine sufferer aged 16

"My 15-year old son received a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder when he was just over 4 years old. He has also had pronounced challenges with hyperactivity and symptoms consistent with ADHD. Currently he has ongoing issues with attention, focus and fidgeting, so LENS Neurofeedback has been perfect because the weekly sessions are short. Over the weeks and months of LENS his focus on school work and other tasks including games has improved, this has even been commented on by his teaching staff in a centre providing specialist provision for children with a diagnosis of ASD. He is also more engaged with us at home which is lovely, and another real bonus is that he is now more compliant about being asked to help or do homework! Tamsin clearly has a broad knowledge and experience of children with Autism and ADHD. Her expert intuition and empathy is invaluable. Her understanding makes life so much easier, she is a real pleasure to work with."Parent of teen with ASD

“LENS therapy had come highly recommended to me by a close friend who had supported me through a road traffic accident. Whilst I had received some therapy immediately after an accident, in which I sustained a fractured skull and bruised prefrontal cortex, the culmination of returning to work and being a mother had taken its toll on my ability to cope. These were primarily normal social situations, managing my expectations of my children and how to successfully handle day to day situations.

Tamsin was very thorough in assessing my current ‘status’ and teasing out the difficulties I was experiencing. Our discussion centred around the research and evidence, that my brain had protected itself in the immediate recovery stage and some functions had not returned to ‘normal’. As a result they were being carried out, less efficiently, by other areas of my brain. Also, certain areas of my brain were therefore not functioning to their full capacity.

Tamsin ensured that I was consulted about the speed at which to progress the treatment and she was methodical in collating my feedback after each treatment. This always helped to inform the next stage. I was very pleased with the improvements I noticed and the long lasting effects of the treatment.”Road Traffic Accident Survivor

"I did a course of about 20 LENS sessions with Tamsin. I feel that the treatments have had a significantly positive impact on my life. I have noticed many changes: more confidence, less anxiety, more clarity and an overall sense that life has become simpler and easier.

The benefits of the sessions not only came from the treatments themselves, but also from Tamsin's sensitivity, conscientiousness, wisdom, warmth and empathy. Each treatment was also therapeutic in the sense that it was a chance to express feelings and reflect on patterns of thinking in an atmosphere of acceptence and trust.​"Acute trauma survivor